In Our Words Canadians Reading Together

Treasured Memories

MARGARET CROUSE

She was a young, 25-year-old woman who lived in Connecticut with her husband Jeremy. Sue was small featured with long brown hair and a light complexion. She loved spending time with her family and being outdoors working in her flower garden. She started planting flowers with her grandmother, Pearl, when she was a young girl.

It was a beautiful day in Connecticut on the morning of May 21. The sky was blue, the sun was shining and the birds were singing. Sue awoke at 7:00 a.m. and got up to start her day. She was ready to go out the door when the phone started ringing. She was just going to let it ring, but something in the back of her mind told her she better answer it.

Before she answered the phone, she had a weird feeling go through her. She knew something was going to be wrong when she answered it. She picked up the pone and said, “Hello.” On the other end was her mother full of tears. She was calling to tell Sue that her grandmother had had a heart attack the night before and was in the hospital. Sue was devastated. Before she hung up she told her mother she was on her way, she’d be there in a little while. On the way to the hospital so many things went through Sue’s mind. She was very upset and very scared. When she finally arrived at the hospital, her mother and father were waiting for her at the front door. She ran up to the door and gave both her parents a hug. She asked how her grandmother was doing and her mother said, “Not very good,” They went up to her grandmother’s room and when they walked in, Sue was overcome with grief. Her grandmother was hooked up to so many machines that Sue was shocked. Sue stayed and visited for a while and then went home.